Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Power

File this one under the Law of Unintended Consequences: Harry Reid decided to blow up the filibuster recently so that Democrats could use their likely evanescent Senate majority to ram through some of Obama’s liberal appointees. But what he hadn’t counted upon was that vulnerable Democrats wouldn’t go along with the plan.

First, seven Democratic senators joined with Republicans to vote down the nomination of Debo Adegbile to be assistant attorney general for civil rights. Apparently the seven Democrats (mostly from northern states, though geographically-challenged liberals cried “southern racism”) thought it wouldn’t look good casting a vote for someone who drank the “Free Mumia” Kool Aid.

Now it appears that Vivek Murthy, Obama’s nominee for surgeon general, will suffer the same fate. Seems that Dr. Murthy dislikes guns, and thinks they should be regulated. The Koch brothers NRA has stepped up with the promise that it will score adversely any positive vote for Murthy. Harry Reid is likely not to call for a vote at all. Who needs the filibuster when you’ve got Harry Reid working for you.

In the absence of nuking the filibuster, Democrats could vote in unison to move the nominations forward, and then blame Republican . . . wait for it, now . . . racism for blocking these two fine specimens of left-liberalism. But when senators actually have to go on record with an up-or-down vote, and—horrors—be accountable for their votes, things change.

Harry Reid’s filibuster gambit doesn’t look so good right now. Funny how politics works sometimes. I blame the Koch brothers. Because Koch brothers. Pretty clear they’re living rent-free in Harry Reid’s head right now.